The Outwords Archive

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The Outwords Archive OUTWORDS captures, preserves, and shares the stories of LGBTQIA2S+ elders, to build community and catalyze social change.

OUTWORDS is the first national effort to capture the stories of LGBTQIA2S+ elders all over America, to build community and catalyze social change. OUTWORDS envisions a world where:

-difference and diversity are respected and celebrated
-everyone’s story is valued, and traditionally underrepresented stories are given prominence
-the transformative power of sexual and gender authenticity is embraced
-anti-LGBTQ+ fears, phobias, and traumas are acknowledged and healed

10/07/2026

Pioneer Ball weekend we celebrate the birthday of one of our founders Ebony Lane .. she birthed our community by creating space when no one else would and raising the girls to become women. Hear her speak at the panel on October 10th at the West Hollywood City Council Chambers 5-9pm and watch her host the ball on October 11th 5-11pm at AVALON HOLLYWOOD .. full interview coming, produced by OUTWORDS and banjee ball Los Angeles LGBT Center … tickets for the ball The HIT App

10/02/2026

Professor Roland Palencia tells us about his education as a young person, new to the US. His political and religious awareness began intersecting more and more with his q***rness and gave way to greater understandings on the importance of religious freedom.

WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR THIS AND WE HAVE NO CHILL! In this moving evening of intergenerational mixed-media theatre, a dive...
09/29/2026

WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR THIS AND WE HAVE NO CHILL! In this moving evening of intergenerational mixed-media theatre, a diverse youth ensemble performs monologues drawn from OUTWORDS’ oral history interviews with LGBTQ+ elders. Live performance weaves together with original video footage from the interviews themselves, creating a cinematic dialogue across time. PASSING THE TORCH is a fierce celebration of q***r joy, the trailblazers who paved the way, and the next generation who will carry on their work. Following the performance, join the cast, creative team, and elders for a Q&A. Directed by petey gibson (whose birthday is today!), created and produced by Mx. Jack Tynan MacCarthy. Tix at https://2026.circafestival.org/event/passing-the-torch-q***r-and-trans-voices-across-generations/

This week is Bisexual Awareness Week! Today we're remembering the late, great, Bi activist Loraine Hutchins. Loraine set...
09/23/2026

This week is Bisexual Awareness Week! Today we're remembering the late, great, Bi activist Loraine Hutchins. Loraine set out to create the first-ever safe space for bisexual folks, not feeling totally welcome in the gay rights or women's rights movements. She co-founded Bi-Net USA to spread bisexual awareness, share resources, and build community. In 1998, she became the first bisexual grand marshall for the Washington DC Pride Parade.

We're grateful to Loraine for her commitment to the uphill battle for bisexual visibility and inclusion. Here she is with the book she co-edited, "Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out."

09/22/2026

Bringing this back: Photographer Louis Jacinto Louis Jacinto has been documenting LA for decades. His early work in the punk rock scene of the 70s served as a microcosm of intersectional Los Angeles. Young punks rallied for the “destruction of injustice.” WE LOVE TO SEE IT and we encourage you all to find your own scene and comrades to fight for what’s right.

Starting our celebration of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month with a shout out to OUTWORDS interviewee El Daña! From Drag K...
09/15/2026

Starting our celebration of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month with a shout out to OUTWORDS interviewee El Daña! From Drag King History: “El Daña is a Mexican-American male impersonator from Fresno, California who’s been performing since 1965. She has impersonated Julio Iglesias, Frank Sinatra, and her specialty, Tom Jones, to critical acclaim. El Daña is known not only for her stage performance but also for her deep commitment to uplifting the LGBTQ+ community as co-founder and emperor of the Sequoia Imperial Court of Visalia and Tulare.

“In 2024, she was honored with the Harvey Milk Community Leader Award from the city of Fresno. In 2025, El Daña was named the oldest living drag king in the world in the Guinness Book of World Records.”

We had a blast yesterday interviewing Claudette Colbert! She’s DJed everywhere from Jewel’s Catch One to the Pl***oy Man...
09/10/2026

We had a blast yesterday interviewing Claudette Colbert! She’s DJed everywhere from Jewel’s Catch One to the Pl***oy Mansion. If you need a DJ for your next event, remember Claudette “Sexy DJ” Colbert - hit her up. And stay tuned for Claudette’s interview!

Sister Roma rappelling down the side of the Hilton for Outbound California, San Francisco, California, 2018.
09/04/2026

Sister Roma rappelling down the side of the Hilton for Outbound California, San Francisco, California, 2018.

09/02/2026

We’re heading back into the classroom and bringing back one of our favorite lessons of encouragement from Stephanie Stuart Wilson, a pioneer of Drag Story Hour. If she’s reading, we’re sat.

Good luck to you all in this new academic year!

08/27/2026

A lifelong student,seeker of spiritual knowledge and Sister of Perpetual Indulgence Kyle Applegate serves the LGBTQIA+ community as an interfaith minister, making religious rituals accessible, personal, and meaningful for everyone.

This video was edited by our talented editorial intern, Ameena Deller of Occidental College.

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Los Angeles, CA

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm

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(310) 710-9084

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